Chinese AI startup Tripo hits $12M revenue with hopeful “3D TikTok” tool

Tripo, a Chinese 3D AI company, has reached $12 million in annual recurring revenue and secured tens of millions in pre-A+ funding just two and a half years after its founding. The startup’s latest release, Tripo Studio 3.0, represents what CEO Simon Song calls the first “product-ready” 3D generation technology, potentially enabling a future consumer platform he describes as “3D TikTok.”

What you should know: Tripo has built a substantial professional user base while developing technology that could democratize 3D content creation.

• The company serves more than three million professional users globally and has signed over 40,000 studios and corporate partners, including Tencent, NetEase, Microsoft, Sony, HTC, and Stability AI.
• Users can generate 3D models in seconds by inputting simple text prompts like “Superman” or “Batman,” with applications spanning gaming, animation, advertising, 3D printing, and industrial design.
• The startup employs about 100 people and maintains a concentration of users in Europe, the U.S., Japan, and Korea.

The big picture: Tripo Studio 3.0 marks a significant leap in AI-generated 3D quality, transforming what Song calls a “toy” into an industrial-grade tool.

• New features include automatic segmentation that breaks models into editable parts, high-fidelity textures with physically based rendering, and one-click export to formats like USD, FBX, OBJ, and STL.
• The platform introduces auto-rigging for avatars and creatures, smart low-poly optimization for XR and gaming, and texture editing through a “magic brush” feature.
• Song positions this as pipeline-ready technology that can integrate into professional workflows.

In plain English: Think of Tripo Studio 3.0 as evolving from a basic sketch pad to professional design software. Previously, AI-generated 3D models were rough prototypes that required extensive manual work to become usable. Now the system automatically handles technical tasks like breaking models into workable pieces, adding realistic surface textures, and preparing files for different software programs—eliminating hours of specialized work that previously required expert knowledge.

Competitive landscape: While the 3D generation space has become crowded with more than a dozen startups, Tripo differentiates itself through foundational model development.

• Competitors include Spline, Immersity, Wonder Studio, and Layer AI, but Song emphasizes that “not every company holds a 3D AI foundational model.”
• Tripo has published more than 50 papers, including over 30 at top AI conferences, and released more than 20 open-source projects in collaboration with Stability AI and others.
• The company’s API powers many of the startups offering AI 3D services, while Tripo Studio serves studios, game developers, and XR companies directly.

What they’re saying: Song’s vision extends beyond professional markets to democratizing 3D content creation for everyday users.

• “Before this year, AI 3D was more like a toy,” Song explained. “With Tripo 3.0 it has become a pipeline-ready industrial tool.”
• “I’m a gamer and anime fan,” he said. “I always wanted to make an RPG game and my own animations. AI 3D is a new opportunity for people like me who are creative, but not professional modelers, who want to make 3D content.”
• “By developing AI 3D technology, we believe UGC creators can generate 3D models. That is important. It’s like when everyone could type words and you got Twitter.”

The consumer vision: Tripo previously experimented with a consumer app called Holy Moly, which Song describes as a “3D TikTok” that hit technical barriers.

• The app initially gained popularity but encountered what Song calls “an invisible wall” because creating 3D content remained “a AAA budget process” requiring significant time, money, and expertise.
• By automating rigging, segmentation, and texturing, Tripo Studio now lowers the difficulty of producing 3D assets, making a consumer platform more realistic.
• Song suggests that strategic investors in gaming and media, including companies like Epic Games and Tencent, would be natural partners once the technology is fully established.

Leadership background: CEO Simon Song brings gaming and AI experience from previous ventures, including co-founding Minimax, the AI startup behind Hailuo AI.

• Song studied at Johns Hopkins University and worked at SenseTime, a Chinese AI company, where he ran AI gaming and animation projects.
• His personal motivation as a “gamer and anime fan” who wanted to create RPG games and animations without professional modeling skills drives the company’s democratization mission.